Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) Explained by a Doctor in 4 Minutes!
MCV is the average amount of space a red blood cell occupies. Red blood cells are made by the bone marrow using a standard recipe. They aren't clones, but are usually about the same size, between 80-100 femtoliters. When the recipe goes wrong (lack of iron, B12, folate, or other ingredients) the red blood cells come out all different shapes and sizes! Since the main job of red blood cells is to carry oxygen, they need to be well made in order for you to have optimal health. Low MCV is most commonly caused by iron deficiency anemia but may also be caused by thalassemia minor / thalassemia trait. Mild thalassemias are incidentally discovered on routine blood testing and are usually asymptomatic. The MCV in mild thalassemias can be VERY low, around 55-60 femtoliters with only MILD anemia. That is a big clue that you may have a thalassemia instead of iron deficiency anemia. The way to tell the difference for sure is by getting iron studies ferritin, TIBC, and percent transferrin saturation. High MCV is often caused by B12 or folate deficiency or heavy alcohol use. Folate and B12 help with DNA synthesis. When they aren't present, DNA synthesis stops, and the baby red blood cells don't lose their nucleus at the right time. The result is those large adolescent red blood cells are released into the blood, driving up the MCV. B12/folate deficiency diagnosis starts with B12 (cobalamin) and folate levels, but may also include homocysteine and methylmalonic acid levels, as well as a blood smear and other tests.

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0:00 Intro
0:34 What is MCV?
0:50 How Red Blood Cells are Made
1:38 Normal Mean Corpuscular Volume
2:02 What Causes Low MCV?
2:53 What Causes High MCV?
3:31 What to do Next?



This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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Red Blood Cells are the most numerous cells in the body, with around 25 trillion floating around at any given time. They carry oxygen. They are measured on the complete blood count in 7 ways: Red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC, and RDW. Hemoglobin is the most important red blood cell measure, and it determines whether or not you have anemia. You can diagnose different causes of anemia based on the mean corpuscular volume or MCV. If it is low, you likely have iron deficiency anemia or a mild thalassemia. If it is normal, you may have anemia of chronic disease. If it is high, you may have vitamin B12 deficiency, folate deficiency, or alcohol use as the cause.

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0:00 Intro
0:39 What are Red Blood Cells?
1:10 The 7 Red Blood Cell Measurements
1:38 The Importance of Hemoglobin
2:06 How Iron Deficiency affects the CBC
3:11 What to do next based on MCV
3:15 Low MCV
3:26 Normal MCV
3:43 High MCV
3:52 Consider Alcohol

This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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Hemoglobin! Learn what hemoglobin is, what causes low hemoglobin, what causes anemia, what the symptoms of anemia are, how to fix anemia, as well as some good nutrition and supplement recommendations! Hemoglobin has 3 parts: Iron: heme, globins, and iron. It is the most important protein in the body, the main component of red blood cells, and carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues using iron. Low hemoglobin is anemia. The most common cause of low hemoglobin is bleeding. The symptoms of anemia are shortness of breath and fatigue. The signs of anemia are pale skin and eyes. You can fix low hemoglobin and low iron by stopping the bleeding, eating iron rich foods, and taking iron supplements.

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Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:33 Hemoglobin Explained
1:22 Anemia
1:44 Most Common Cause of Low Hemoglobin
2:01 How Bleeding Causes Anemia
2:25 Symptoms of Anemia
2:52 3 Steps to Fix Hemoglobin & Iron
02:57 Stop the Bleeding
03:18 Eat More Iron
03:58 Take a Supplement
4:23 What to do Next

#hemoglobin #anemia #ironsupplements

This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health-related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

Let's connect! YouTube | Instagram | LinkedIn |X